Jia Heng was not annoyed and smiled lightly and said: "The glory of our ancestors is far away. Although I am not talented, I am still willing to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors. I heard that Brother Xie is quite unique in the art of archery. If Brother Xie does not give up, But I can give you some pointers on archery. If you can make any progress, I will thank you for your teachings."
Xie Baihu thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Hold this knife, do you see the wooden stake over there? If you can chop it open, I will teach you the art of archery. If you can't chop it, I will teach you the art of archery." Don’t say that I, Mr. Xie, am ungrateful.”
As he said that, he handed the knife over.
Cai Quan whispered: "Brother Dong, it's not easy...how come you still pass the exam?"
Dong Qian frowned and said, "I don't know either, let's take a look first."
Jia Heng lightly weighed the Yanling knife in his hand. This knife has been refined and weighted, weighing about ten kilograms (made in Han Dynasty, 250g per kilogram). If the predecessor had not exerted some strength, it would have been difficult to lift it.
He waved his hand and made a sword.
Just for a moment, Xie Baihu squinted his eyes and secretly marveled. The descendants of Ning Rong, Duke of the Second Kingdom, have long been of no use. He didn't expect such a person to exist?
Jia Heng took two steps together, raised his sword and struck with a leap. He saw the sword's light flashing like a rainbow, slashing towards the wooden stake.
"Crack!"
A wooden stake as thick as a sea bowl is cut off from the middle, and the cross section is like a mirror, and the light can be used to discern people.
"What a great knife!"
Jia Heng praised it out loud and felt his arms were sore. This was because he often used swords and rarely used knives. There are many differences in the way they exert force.
Xie Baihu stood up and said with a smile: "What a great skill, but I, Lao Xie, missed it."
Dong Qian smiled and said: "Brother Xie, don't underestimate me, brother Jia. I just saw him practicing swordsmanship at home. The sword light is like a rainbow, and it is impervious to wind and rain."
Xie Baihu also had a smile on his face and said: "This wooden pile is made of oak. It is more difficult to break than ordinary wooden piles. Brother Jia broke it with one blow. It was not easy. He has good skills." "
Not only strength, but also skill, an expert will know if it is there as soon as he takes action.
Cai Quan also smiled and warmed up the atmosphere and said, "Let's go, it's already noon, let's go eat first."
Jia Heng nodded and followed Xie Baihu into the house.
Xie Baihu lives in a three-room tile-roofed house. There is also a woman in Jingchai and sarong in the house. She looks like thirty years old, her skin is not good, she is tired from long-term work, and she has several children with her.
A tiger-headed child was looking at strangers with thick eyes. His eyes fell on the gift boxes held in the hands of Cai Quan and Jia Heng. His eyes were shining. Behind him were two little girls with braids, looking at them timidly. stranger.
"Go and warm up these wines." As soon as Xie Baihu entered the wing, he got on the kang and ordered the mother-in-law beside him.
The woman responded, and Cai Quan and Jia Heng handed over the wine and meat.
After a while, everyone was drinking and talking.
Xie Baihu sighed and said: "Why did the Jin people plunder every year in the north? They just used cavalry and shooting. I think back to the time of Taizu, when the capital camp was still chasing people to the north. How many years have passed? How many people in the army still know how to do it?" Riding and shooting kung fu?”
Because Chen Hancheng Ming naturally faced the same problems as the previous Ming Dynasty, there were grassland border dangers externally, land annexation by the landlord class internally, and a huge civil servant group with gentry as spokesperson.
Jia Heng pondered: "What is the situation in Jiubian now?"
"What else could it be like? The situation of the Eastern Han Dynasty is in great difficulty. The general soldiers of Jizhen can't retreat, Beiping Mansion has been looted all year round, and the people on the border are miserable." Xie Baihu said with an indignant look.
There was a trace of thought on Jia Heng's face. The world of Dream of Red Mansions will undoubtedly be a troubled time of changing dynasties. Just as "Good Song" said, if you train well, you can't guarantee that you will be a strong leader in the future. This is what Liu Xianglian and others are like. The times will allow Liu Xianglian and others to be the strong ones.
Except for the troubled times, don’t think about other things.
In the first chapter of "A Dream of Red Mansions", it is recorded that Zhen Shiyin's house was burned down and he went to a farm to take refuge. The book said: "This year coincided with floods and droughts and no harvest, thieves and thieves appeared in droves, and officers and soldiers hunted down..."
There is more record in Chapter 53. Wu Jinxiao reported, "This year's harvest is really bad. It rained from March until August, but it didn't last for five days in a row. In September, there was a hailstorm as big as a bowl... …”
Thinking of this, Jia Heng couldn't help but feel a little awe-inspiring in his heart.
Could it be the Little Ice Age in the late Ming Dynasty?
If this is the case, just passing the imperial examination and becoming an official is not enough to settle down in this world. You still need to have military power in order to live a prosperous life in this world.
On one side of the room, several people were talking. On the other side, the heated food and wine were placed on the table. Everyone talked and talked, talking about what they had seen in the army and mentioning trivial matters in the capital.
At a cocktail party, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves until late afternoon.
Jia Heng and Xie Zaiyi made an appointment to learn riding and shooting. They supported Dong and Cai, whose cheeks were red from drinking, and went home together.
When he came back, it was rare that he had to bury his injustice with Cai, so Jia Heng went back to the back room to sleep until dusk.
I prepared some hot water, washed away the smell of alcohol, and changed into clean clothes.
Just as he was about to come to the study to study, he suddenly saw Mr. Cai standing at the threshold, seemingly hesitant to speak.
Jia Heng smiled and said, "Aunt Cai has something to teach me?"
There are three members of Cai's family. Although his family is poor, they actually have ten or twenty acres of land, which is cultivated by Cai's husband and brother Cai's family.
Ms. Cai said: "Auntie has a few words for Brother Heng."
With that said, he walked into the house.
Jia Heng smiled, picked up the teapot on the side, poured a cup of tea for Mrs. Cai, turned around and said, "Aunt Cai, drink tea."
Mr. Cai sat on the table and said with a smile, "Brother is becoming more and more like an adult."
Jia Heng smiled and said, "Children from poor families have long been in charge, and Aunt Cai has watched me grow up."
Mrs. Cai held the tea, smiled and said with emotion: "If the girl is still here, I may feel so relieved."
Jia Heng sighed and said, "Mother, she has worked hard all her life, but she has never enjoyed a single day of happiness with my father and son. Alas..."
Mrs. Cai was silent. After a moment, she suddenly said: "The girl hopes that my brother will study and go to school. Before leaving, she actually made a marriage arrangement for him."
Jia Heng said in surprise: "Marriage?"
Ms. Cai said: "This is the marriage certificate. It was originally settled long ago."
As he said that, he took out a wooden box from the armhole. The pear wood box was exquisitely made, with a phoenix pattern engraved on it.
Jia Heng's expression paused for a moment, then he reached out to take it, opened it, and read it, his expression became solemn.
"Qin Ye's daughter? Qin Keqing?" Jia Heng's face looked a little strange.
Isn't Qin Keqing going to marry Jia Rong?
Also, Jia Rong is just sixteen years old at the moment and should not be married.
"It's just that with my current poor status, Qin Ye can't possibly break off the engagement. Do I still want to keep the entire three-year contract?" Jia Heng looked at the marriage letter and looked thoughtful for a moment.
Of course, even if Qin Ye agreed, he wouldn't be able to keep a stunning beauty like Qin Keqing if he didn't have some skills.
It is no lie that beauty brings disaster.
But let him ignore it. If Qin Keqing married Jia Rong as in the original novel, and then was stripped of her ashes by that old guy Jia Zhen, it would seem... quite uncomfortable.
"I asked your uncle to buy some gifts in the afternoon. Tomorrow, you go to the Qin family and discuss the wedding date with the Qin family," Cai said.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "Aunt Cai, our family knows our own affairs. If my family is in such a situation, the Qin family will probably regret it. If we come here, we are asking for trouble."
Mr. Cai smiled and said: "Brother, I don't know. This is what Qin Ye promised back then. How can he regret it? I just go tomorrow. I will have my own thoughts at that time."
Jia Heng didn't know why Cai was so determined, but seeing his hopeful expression, he agreed temporarily.
